Reviews

Adequate enough to maintain a fairly entertaining story…

But probably nowhere near as good as it could’ve been. The cases of the week that sometimes spanned over several episodes was somewhat interesting. It was ironic that the FL was a princess but had managed to secure a life of relative independence unlike her counterparts - princesses and friends who were trapped in lives they had no desire to live. Thus it was very fitting that she was able to use her freedom to try and get justice for those women who’d been wronged.

Though the cases could be interesting, at times the story dragged and became tedious. The main point that was supposed to be driving the story was that the FL wanted to find out who framed her father causing his and her mother’s death and clear his name. Unfortunately this was hardly explored until the latter part of the series. There is a romance in this but it’s the D or E story. The focus remains heavily on the crimes and mysteries that need to be solved rather than a love match.

The chemistry between the leads was passable. I’ve seen both actors have significantly better chemistry with others. That’s not to say the acting wasn’t good. It worked for this series. Overall the show wasn’t bad, but not good either, just okay. Is it worth watching? It depends on the viewer. Is it worth rewatching. Not IMO.

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Great story, but it was butchered by the production team.

Spring of the Blade had a well-written story with so much potential, but the production was terrible. Cutting the episodes hurt the pacing, leaving parts of the story feeling rushed and disconnected. It became hard to watch at times because moments that needed room to build were barely given a chance to land.

What disappointed me most was how much those cuts took away from the audience’s experience. The reveals and emotional moments could have delivered a real “wow” factor, but the editing weakened their impact. I enjoyed the story, which makes it even more frustrating, it deserved a production that could do it justice. I really feel bad for the leads, Xu Kai and Zhou Ye. Their performances deserved better, and it’s frustrating to see the production and episode cuts take away from the impact of their work.

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Serie diferente pero entretenida

Fue tan increíble y raro a la vez. Una historia de amor entre una diseñadora y una robot. Para mi nunca hubieron teams, Gen siempre amo a Ai, Irene hizo las cosas mal y perdió contra su propia creación, Al principio me daba entre cringe y risa, despues me tenía semana a semana con la cabeza revuelta de tantas teorías. Sin duda una serie que deja marca, fue tierna, divertida y me hizo llorar un monton. El final fue tan crudo como maravilloso, vivieron muchos años juntas y felices pero no nos dejaron olvidar que Ai es un robot, y fue impactante. Lo unico que no me encantó fue el descenlace de Irene, mucha aura para tan poco al final. Serie sorprende y original, aunque a lo mejor las teorías eran mejor que lo que fue al final. Le daría 8.4. Aun asi fue muy valiente dejarla con Ai y aun mas valiente ese final, mis respetos.

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deeper than you think!!

I guess the name and the poster are not doing it for the drama, and maybe that's the reason why this drama is so slept on it really has a level of depth which you do don't really find in a lot of JBL they did the popular handsome × awkward shy guy highschool romance but with a twist that gave this drama unexpected depth, other thing I really appreciated about this was the not so perfect relationship that they had they didn't add unnecessary misunderstandings or weird situations that would result in conflict instead they made it very natural and human like
they also served us the usual fluffy love which never gets old , this drama is 100% worth checking out I was sat from the first ep!

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In love with desert landscapes!

The first thing to stat here is… Where are more chinese doramas like this!!!! I want to know how to find some other works like Remnants of Gold, so different, so original, so hard, so wonderful!

I discover this beautiful jewel by chance, looking the poster of one of the characters, performed by Bu Guanjin. WTF!, only seeing the looks and the outfit of the character I thought “this is something that has to be seen”. And I wasn’t wrong. I have to admit that my view is “distorted” because I fall in love at first sight with her. Her looks are absolutely different at any other look seen in a chinese dorama for a girl. That sunburned skin looks amazing on her (tired of seeing always “whiter shade of pale” skins, yeah, bored with it). The same applies to Gao Weiguang, my God, that man appears insanely handsome in this alternative look highly unusual in China. The characterization of everybody searchs to fit in the landscapes of the harsh lands of the Gobi desert. I’m impressed by the excelent work made by the wardrobe staff, thumbs up for all of them…

I’m from very far away from China and I not sure if I get all the context, here, for stat some opinions, hahaha; but I think this work displays supperb quality in many levels, for sure. The direction, the settings, the landscapes, the attires, the plot, the demeanor of the characters… all seem very different to the standard format of the chinese dramas, I dont think I’m mistaken. All of this it is wonderfully made, in a supperb level of higher quality, with an especial effort to differentiate from the rest of the productions. Why I think this? (spoiler alert, beware…)

-The plot. Here, there are no effort in nothing resembling romance, hahaha, and it’s really refreshing. Sometimes, I end up bored with ridiculous plots with ridiculous lovers making ridiculous things about love. Here, thankfully, it does not happen. Here, there are survival struggles, greed for gold or for power, and all is much harder and more difficult.

-Violence and death. My God, there are some doramas where death are something that seems not to exist. The people get beaten, pierced by arrows or swords, fall from heights… and nobody dies!!! Sometimes reaching ridiculous extremes, wtf. Here, there are violence and well represented, harshly and cruelly, sometimes bloody, and I like it a lot, call me weird, hahaha. And here is the spoiler; there are a lot of characters who find death, how sad I was in some of them.

-The landscapes and settings. I think I have never seen a similar quality at this level, for sure. The work is made with accuracy, everything suits magnificently and every single image of the show is an spectacle in itself. I fall in love with the harsh sand landscapes, the dirty places, the windy storms, the “desert balls” rolling on ramshackle towns, hahahaha. Believe me, this is a masterpiece.

-The attires and characters. As I was saying, all the performers here had that dishelved look, with outfits with headscarves, sunburned skin and desert-like appearance. I can only praise the full cast for daring to appear so “wiped out”, so shattered, actually realistic and, by that, wonderful.

-The performers. I think the cast was done on purpose searching really good performers, my God. It’s really amazing, all the people here are wonderfull, threre are no flaws, really. But I especially want to praise the actress Bu Guanjin with her support role, a really warrior girl and, why not say it? She appears stunningly beautiful here, way more than any of those ice faced usual “divas”. I’m fully in love. Gao Weiguang is a really really good performer, yeah, and here the man is at it’s best. Xin Zhilei and Ken Wu are stunning too, i like all of them, and all the support roles and the various weird characters are wonderfully performed. High quality in all levels, oh yes. Maybe the character of Pu Ying (Yin Fang) is the weakest, but is not serious problem.

Long story short; I can only recommend this drama effusively, is a really complete show in all levels, top notch quality, I can swear it. Thumbs up!!!

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This show is funny but warning triggers abducting ,mental illness and death.

Honestly being black and watching this kdrama made me feel like relocating to Korea. l mean this show have some tragic story in it but most of it is hilarious like really funny . This show got me thinking like if Koreans have this sense of humour then l will be happy living there for me the characters played by kim won hae ,Im won hee and kim ki mock was like therapy to me these guys got me laughing so hard l forgot my worries, kim won hae really did well playing two roles and was awesome and funny in both of them like the way he was beaten by Do Bong Soon breaking his leg and looking his teeth was silly but funny so funny l could watch it again. And the mafia boss lm won hee i don't how that character was written to be but to me he felt like someone who was trying to be intimidating but from him was warmth like one warm and loving gangster leader, and his underlying kim ki mook played well undet his boss. And the villain l always thought villains are meant to hated but in this show l actually liked the person who played that character, like his mysteriousness is what drew me to his character its like one attractive and handsome kidnapper it got me thinking if l was in this series seriously l will go off script and definitely get kidnapped willingly by this guys thats just how well he played. As for our lead actors That was my first time watching both of them since l had just started being a kdrama fan then 2023 and my first impression of them as a couple was wow this couple is cute and their puppy love made me fall hard in love with kdramas that l kept wanting to see whats next and ended up finishing the whole story and as a black young woman it made me feel stronger and hopeful both in life and love and l hope everyone who watches this show get the satisfaction they are searching for like l did as for the ending l wont give you spoiler just download this series and see this roller coster rom .com for yourself

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Don't disregard this because of a sucky last episode. It's a fun and easy watch!

“Duty First, Kiss Later” was different from what I expected, not in a bad way, just different. I was surprised to find out it’s very romance-focused. Since the leads both work at the police station, I thought it’s a police drama with some romance, or even 50/50. In actuality, the leads’ romantic relationship is the focus. It’s good for me, since I am a romance lover. But if you are not, just be aware.

This is an easy and fun watch. The episodes are short (about 22 minutes each) and the pacing is pretty good. It’s not too fast but I do wish the distribution of content is a little better. Both leads, the older cop Takoi and younger cop Shiono have very different personalities. But we all know the opposite attraction is a fun trope to watch. They are both lovely characters in their own way, and together, they have good chemistry. The acting is solid, with its typical Japanese comedic acting by Watanabe Shu as Takoi. But I wasn’t annoyed with its over-the-topness. Saito Ryu plays a handsome and serious Shiono to contrast the popular Takoi.

The romance develops pretty quickly for me, at least with the realization of feelings on Takoi’s part. I actually wanted a little more push-and-pull, because Takoi has never liked a guy before. From realizing Saito’s feelings, to his own feelings and coming to terms with all of that (including societal pressure), all happened pretty quickly. But it’s Jdrama, so I kinda expected a speedy romance. What I really would love to see is the everyday happiness and happy couple interactions between the leads. Takoi fell so hard and fast and was ready to go all in. Shinono is already down bad from a long time ago. I wanted to see more of that loving, cute, fluffy dynamic. But the drama didn’t allow it. Oh, and what is up with the VERY DISAPPOINTING kisses? These are adults and they give me high school chaste kisses?????

What’s worse is the last episode. It went down a totally different side plot that changed the tone of the drama. I think it’s a little late to remind us they are both cops and have cop duties. I hope viewers won’t trash the ratings just because of this last episode. The other 9 are good fun, even if the last one is not.

This is a super easy and quick binge. It’s lovely to see an adult BL amidst all the young ones. We don’t often see a BL lead that’s over 35 years old. The age difference isn’t such a big taboo here. Sit back and enjoy this fun journey.


Drama Completed: 10/3/2026 Review #727

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colds and miscommunication

I felt like this drama was one big miscommunication trope. is it common in cdramas for them not to discuss the jealousy? that annoyed me. every time there was a misunderstanding about jealousy or miscommunication, there was no discussion, they just got over it? that could’ve also been a subtitle translation misunderstanding, but this trope annoyed me.

also… everyone always had a cold for that product placement. take some vitamin c.

I hated how you other than seeing Xu yanshi’s little brother at the end, i felt like they didn’t tie this up. I really wanted to see a visit with his little brother… do they get to see each other on holidays? does chengli get to see yanshi? we don’t know.

also hated the gao lang and chen shu constant back and forth. he fights for her. she shames him for it.

I didn’t stop watching it but it’s not going to be a rewatch.

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The Potential Was There

I won't discuss the AI usage or the actors' looks, as the former has been discussed extensively here and the latter adds zero value to the plot. As my title suggests, this show had immense potential that went unrealized by the finale.

The series has two interesting elements going for it:

👮🏻 The Tumultuous Romance 🧑🏻‍💼
This dynamic involves two key players:
• Fei Foon: A brilliant undercover cop taking on dangerous missions.
• Hui Leuk To (Vincent): A wealthy, closeted young CEO with appearances to keep up. He hooks up with Fei Foon (initially mistaking him for a criminal) and eventually falls in love with him, while simultaneously battling severe internalized homophobia.

IMO, this show would have benefited greatly from diving deeper into these two characters, their romance, and their psyches. I wanted to see how Fei Foon dealt with his feelings every time Vincent hurt him. Vincent was physically violent toward Fei Foon twice when threatened with exposure. The struggle of loving a man who refuses to be seen with you due to internalized homophobia deserved more screen time.

Furthermore, we missed seeing how Vincent dealt with his feelings—not just toward Fei Foon, but also regarding the burden of his family’s underworld ties. That said, his internalized homophobia and selfishness were the most interesting parts of the show for me. He loves and cares for his boyfriend but dares not be seen with him. He sees no issue with marrying a woman for appearances while keeping Fei Foon a secret. Let's also not forget his violent tendencies when backed into a corner about their relationship. Vincent consistently puts himself first until Fei Foon finally leaves without a word, forcing him to realize his mistakes.

Unfortunately, the drama’s frequent time jumps do a disservice to the romance. Because many major milestones and emotional turning points happen off-screen, the emotional beats feel shallow. I will not deny that these two had some really cute moments when they were happy. It just felt a little empty when I remembered all the things that'd been glossed over

🔫 The Organized Crime Aspect 🔫
This plotline had so many layers: Fei Foon's undercover assignment, Vincent's family mafia history, and the Eastern Hall + Shwan counterfeit money business. Done well, it could have been an engaging blend of crime, thriller, and romance. Yet, the show somehow managed to make it incredibly boring. Whether it was the script, the acting, the odd makeup, or a combination of all three, the crime elements failed to hold my attention. It is incredibly disappointing because I could feel the potential just out of reach—blocked by poor execution.

Final Thoughts
Would I recommend this...? Truthfully, I don't know. I left a note for myself at the end of episode 7 stating, "The last two episodes have been such a bore. And I'm really not warming up to Vincent. He's like a possessive child who doesn't like the word no." Looking back, the story started going downhill for me after episode 5. Between the boring crime plot and a romance I couldn't connect with, the whole thing just left me disappointed in what it could have been. I'll likely never rewatch this

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I will never watch this drama again. They had me then they lost me.

It was confusing at first, but the ending was alright, although I wish it had ended a little differently. I didn't love the main character and his love interest, but it was still okay. It was funny, sad, and heartwarming. But the only one who never bothered me was the mom (both young and old). The plot was strange and confusing, and I feel like there were some plot holes in the story that they filled with random stuff, but I liked the happy ending. I honestly think it could've been better if the brother was in the story more. But nothing really made sense from the beginning; I'm only letting this go because it was a happy ending. Also, the main lead, the love interest, and the brother, I feel as though their acting skills weren't as good as the rest of the cast. For some reason, I just connected with them the least. I feel as though Seol In-ah has a charm that worked very well in Business Proposal. But I felt that she was playing almost the same character. She was quirky and weird but cool and bold. But I will say that playing two different characters will do wonders for her career. But overall, she was on Eunyoo most of the film. With the main lead, the main lead's love interest, and the brother, I didn't have to remind myself "this is a show" as I did with the rest of the cast. I felt that was very disappointing. I think they cast Ryeoun because of his sad eyes. I also didn't like the way the friends from 1995 acted, as they had never seen Eun-gyeol before. It was really weird, and I probably never will watch it again. I originally watched this drama for Choi Hyun-wook, but he didn't wow me as much as Shin Eun-soo did. I felt as if he was playing the same character as he played in Twenty-Five Twenty-One. I also didn't see how the younger him turned into the older him; his characteristics and mannerisms were completely different. It was really a big disconnect. On that note, I did love Cheong Ah. Shin Eun-soo did an amazing job, and although she couldn't speak, she portrayed her character so well!

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Interesting, bold and boring.

It’s a good show. It has a good beginning and manages to keep you hooked because the story’s premise is genuinely interesting. However, there are things along the way that are completely unnecessary.

I believe 10 episodes would have been more than enough to tell this story, with a much more suitable pace, too. But it drags on for fucking 16 one-hour episodes. There’s just no way. When it gets to the parts where they tell us about the past, the story drags on in an almost unbearable way. I had to take breaks of a few days between episodes because watching it all at once was way too boring.

The middle of the story is the biggest problem. They keep dragging out a weak story that you’re already tired of seeing, and then they make you WATCH IT AGAIN. It’s boring, dragged out, exhausting... honestly, I wouldn’t blame ANYONE for dropping it at this point.

In the end, the show finds its footing in the final arc and ends in a fair and bold way. The main couple didn’t really do it for me, although I thought Kim Go-eun was amazing, and she delivered a very captivating character.

I don’t feel like I wasted my time watching it, but I also don’t feel like I watched something incredible like many people say. It’s just a good drama.

I recommend it if you have some patience. You’re going to need it!!


PORTUGUES (BRASIL):

Interessante, corajosa e entediante.

É uma boa obra. Tem um bom começo, consegue te prender, pois a proposta da história é, de fato, interessante. Entretanto, existem coisas no meio do caminho que são completamente descartáveis.

Acredito que uma obra de 10 episódios já seria muito mais do que o suficiente para contar essa história, num ritmo bem adequado, inclusive. Mas se arrasta por fodendos 16 episódios de 1 hora. Não tem condição. Quando chega nos momentos de contar sobre o passado, a história se arrasta de um jeito quase insuportável. Tive que dar pausas de alguns dias pra ver, pois assistir tudo de uma vez estava entediante demais.

O meio da história é o maior problema. Ficam remoendo uma história fraca e que você já cansou de rever, e te fazem REVER DE NOVO. É chato, arrastado, cansativo, nossa... Eu não julgaria NINGUÉM se dropasse nessa parte.

No fim, a obra se acha no arco final e termina de um jeito justo e corajoso. O casal de protagonistas não me pegou, apesar de eu ter achado Kim Go-eun maravilhosa e ela ter entregado uma personagem bem cativante.

Não sinto que perdi meu tempo assistindo, mas também não sinto que assisti a algo incrível como muitos dizem. É um bom drama, apenas.

Recomendo se tiver certa paciência. Vai precisar!!

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Second half of the drama is a humiliation ritual of the ML.

I am FURIOUS. And episodes 1 to 27 are the reason why.
Because those 27 episodes are almost perfect television. Tight writing. Gripping pacing. The kind of show that makes you cancel your plans, ignore your alarm, and binge until 3 a.m. WITHOUT GUILT. I was telling everyone to watch it. I was that person.

Then episode 28 happened, and I want my tears, my sleep, and my emotional investment back. Something went WRONG in that writers' room. I don't know if they changed writers or handed the script to people with an axe to grind but whoever wrote episode 28 and beyond had an AGENDA, and it's not subtle. I have been watching C-dramas for YEARS, and I have never seen a male lead assassinated like this. Not by an enemy. Not by betrayal. BY HIS OWN SCRIPT.

Let's call it what it is: the writers were so obsessed with propping up the female lead as untouchable, so determined to deliver a "girlboss" arc, that they decided the only way to lift her up was to saw the male lead off at the knees. That's not empowerment. That's not good writing. That's an agenda and the male lead's corpse was the offering on its altar.

They took a brilliant, strategic general a man who outsmarted everyone on the battlefield AND turned him into a SIMP.

From episodes 28 to 40, this man BEGGED. He chased. He pleaded. He bent over backwards for the smallest crumb of affection, while she gave him nothing but coldness and tests and the show framed it as devotion. DEVOTION? Every episode, she was handed the power, the moral high ground, and the wins, and he was handed kneepads. He lost every argument. She lost nothing. That's not romance that's a lecture, and the male lead was the cautionary tale.

And then it got WORSE because the show made his humiliation the entire POINT of the romance

SHE MADE HIM QUIT HIS JOB AS CAPITAL COMMANDER OF THE LEFT ARMY . Read that again. He gave up his position, his power, his ambitions everything he fought an entire first half to earn and protect and this show presented it as ROMANTIC GROWTH. No. That was the agenda's endgame, fully exposed the strong man had to be stripped of everything so the female lead could stand taller. A general without his command is just a man in nice clothes, and the drama expected a STANDING OVATION. I was standing, alright to throw something at my screen.

That's when it became undeniable. The writers decided the male lead's power was a PROBLEM to be solved instead of the very foundation of his appeal because in their worldview, a powerful man in love is a threat that must be tamed, humbled, and leashed. So they solved it. By amputating it. With a rusty knife. Slowly. This isn't character development it's ideological taxidermy stuffing a great character into a lesson about how men should submit.

And the FINAL insult the one that made me laugh in disgust? It took them FOUR YEARS. Four in-story YEARS to consummate this "romance." Another humiliation ritual for the male lead, packaged as a grand reward.

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty

The story plot of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty was really good, and overall, I enjoyed watching the drama. The storyline was interesting, especially the way the characters, food, romance, and historical setting were connected. The drama managed to keep me curious about what would happen next, and I never felt like the story was completely boring or pointless.

One thing that bothered me a little was the age gap between the male lead and female lead. Their age difference is around 10 years, which feels like a bit much to me, especially when watching their romantic scenes. However, the female lead is very pretty and has a youthful appearance, so honestly, the age gap between them did not feel as obvious as I expected. Their chemistry also helped make their relationship more believable and enjoyable to watch.

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